Spring Break in America
by Meredith Summer
Summary: The CCS gang are now juniors in high school, as are the Fruits basket gang. When nine students, and several friends and family members from each series go to live in America for at leas
1. Chapter 1

SPRING BREAK IN AMERICA

By Meredith Summer

Chapter 1: Prologue

"HOEEEE!" rang the panicked cry as the ordinary house shuddered with a crash and a thump. No, Sakura had not changed in the slightest in the last five years. The only difference now that Sakura was a junior in high school was that her shrieks were louder, the thumps harder, and the crashes more devastating.

Truly it was a miracle that Sakura had anything left in her room that was unbroken.

Even more miraculous was that Kero-chan was still asleep in the drawer that held his bed.

As usual, Sakura stumbled first to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. After that she was more awake, and she hummed as she got dressed for the day.

"Sakura?" There was no response. "Sakura!" Still no response. At last the small golden guardian roared, "SAKURA!"

Startled, the girl stopped humming, "What is it Kero-chan? You know, it's really rude to shout at someone like that."

And as usual, Kero sweat-dropped and nearly lost his ability to fly. "Sakura, it's also rude to ignore someone who is talking to you." Sakura had the grace to look embarrassed; the guardian-beast continued, "Two questions: since its Spring Break, why did you set your alarm for so early in the morning? And since its Spring Break, why are you wearing your school uniform?"

For a few moments there was silence as Sakura stared at her small friend. Then the teenager giggled nervously. Kero was beginning to get very uneasy. Then…

"HOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Elsewhere a cheerful young woman paused as she made breakfast. Was that a panicked scream she'd heard? It seemed to come from very far away…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of two young men who looked to be about the same age as she was.

"Ah! Good morning Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun!" she exclaimed happily. "Morning," they chorused, and then glared at each other. The young woman giggled softly at them, "Come on, breakfast is ready and we'll be busy today."

_Split-screen Flashback:_

_There were two different assembly halls with two different teachers and two different groups of students. The two teachers, however, were saying the exact same things to their students. The two groups of students reacted in similar fashions. "Students, I have news for you. We will be doing a joint-project with another school during Spring Break." There were groans from the students. The teachers chuckled dryly, "Don't worry. You won't all be required to participate, and I think those who do participate will be very pleased with this project. We will select the names of the nine students who will participate in a few moments. After that, the rest of you will return to your classes._

_AT SEIJYU HIGH_

"_Kinomoto Sakura! Li Syaoran! Daidoji Tomoyo! Hiiragizawa Eriol! Mihara Chiharu! Yamazaki Takashi! Nomura Naoko! Sasaki Rika! Li Meiling!"_

_The nine students named followed the teacher into another room…_

_AT KUWAIA HIGH_

"_Honda Tohru! Sohma Kyo! Uotani Arisa! Sohma Momiji! Hanajima Saki! Sohma Ritsu! Sohma Yuki! Kimura Duo! Sohma Hatsuharu!"_

_The nine students named followed the teacher into another room…_

_Once again, what the teachers were saying was exactly the same thing…_

"_During Spring Break, you nine students will be living with nine students from another high school. Depending on the success of the project, you may even continue to live together for the rest of the school year. There will be some family members and friends accompanying you as well. Oh, and one more thing before you are dismissed: for the duration of the project, you will be living in northern California in America, and you may not tell any of your classmates where you are going until after you arrive in California."_

_End Flashback_

"Sakura-san! Breakfast is ready! Are you sure you're all packed?"

Sakura picked herself up off the floor where the force of her second scream had thrown her, "Hai! I'll be right down!" she replied to her father. As she changed into normal clothes, she spoke to Kero, "Have you forgotten Kero-chan? We're leaving today to live in America with students from another Japanese school! We leave for the airport in forty-five minutes. Let's go down to breakfast now, ok?" The small creature fairly danced in the air as he flew behind her down the stairs as he cried, "Wai! Wai!"

The Kinomoto's small kitchen was full this morning. Since both Touya and Yukito were going along as companions for the trip, they had both spent the night there instead of in the apartment they shared since they both attended college.

It wasn't long before Sakura and Touya hugged their father goodbye and Yukito shook his hand. Outside waiting for them was the small bus Tomoyo's mother had hired to take the entire group to the airport. Tomoyo, Syaoran, Meiling, Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, Yamazaki, Eriol, Nakuru, and Spinnel were already on the bus. Immediately, Kero and Spinnel hooked up their portable video game devices and began battling each other. They had to get this out of their systems now since once they got to the airport they would have to pretend to be stuffed animals.

Yes the non-magical friends knew all about Kero, Spinnel, and the magic. Sakura, Tomoyo, Eriol, and Syaoran had discussed it several years back and decided that it wasn't fair to keep such a secret from their best friends. Once they'd gotten over their shock, the others were delighted. Naoko and Tomoyo had the best time coming up with 'movies' for their friends to be in. Magic was used for the special effects, and since Tomoyo's mother's company had developed software that could produce similar effects, they'd even begun to market the movies which were quite popular.

The other group was also riding to the airport in a chartered minibus. Since five of the students and all of the companions were Sohmas, Momiji's father had insisted that the entire group stay at his house the night before they left and take the bus to the airport. And yes, all the non-Sohmas knew about the curse. Akito had been in a coma for just over a year. Since that time, Momiji's father had been considered the head of the Sohma family. When Hana, Arisa, and Duo had found out the secret, he decided there was no need to erase their memories—in fact, he'd been the one to suggest that the non-Sohma's be told about the curse.


	2. Chapter 2

SPRING BREAK IN AMERICA

Chapter 2

At last both buses arrived at the private jet supplied by the Li family. Once everyone was on board, the round of introductions began. When the Sohmas were introduced, Sakura exchanged glances with Syaoran and Eriol. When it was her turn to introduce herself, she stared at the Sohmas for so long that they began to be uneasy. At last she shook her head, "Sorry, it's just that Yuki-kun looks so much like Tomoyo-chan and it's hard for me to believe all of you are related. I am Kinomoto Sakura, and I am very pleased to meet you. You have kind aur—er expressions."

Several of the Sohmas present looked over at Kyo and Hatsuharu, who were looking angry and bored, and at Ayame and Shigure, who had somewhat perverted expressions on their faces, and almost choked on their laughter. They were silent, however, when both Sakura and Eriol gave them identical knowing smiles. Yes, I know very creepy.

Perhaps I should back up a bit and tell you exactly who is there from the Fruits Basket gang you already know that Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, Arisa, Hana, Momiji, Hatsuharu, Ritsu, and Duo are the students participating from their high school. I believe I just gave away the fact that Ayame and Shigure are there as well. There are also four other Sohmas included: Kisa, Kagura, Harori, and Momo. Yes, Momiji's little sister Momo. When their father found out that Momo had discovered the facts about Momiji on her own, he decided to let Momiji be her violin teacher until they were equal in skill, when they would both study under the same instructor. Tohru, needless to say, was thrilled.

So the first half of the flight went as one would expect. The established couples spent some time making-out (That would be Sakura x Syaoran, and Chiharu x Yamazaki. The rest are going to be pairings that I've made up because I want to mix things up a little). They all napped at one point or another. The boys challenged each other to card games. Momo and Kisa had great fun playing with Kero and Spinnel; the two girls thought the two guardians were stuffed toys after all. Neither Sakura nor Tomoyo were able to say anything without being suspicious. Why Tomoyo, you ask? Spinnel and Kero were pretending to be "best friend charms" that Sakura and Tomoyo had won at a fair (Poor, poor guardians. Syaoran, Meiling, Touya, and Eriol were highly amused by their plight).

At various times the older girls would break into small groups to gossip. At one point Tomoyo confessed to Sakura, Rika, and Naoko that she thought Yuki-kun was really cute. The three girls shrieked, "KAWAI!" and Sakura added, "NOW I CAN FINALLY FILM YOU! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Everyone stared at them, the FB gang in confusion, and the CCS gang knowingly. Meiling, Eriol, and Nakuru exploded in laughter. Even poor Kero and Spinnel were struggling not to laugh. Fortunately neither Momo nor Kisa noticed them trembling before they got themselves under control. At last the entire group settled down to play a rummy tournament. Soon, Tomoyo was disqualified (on purpose I might add), and she got up to make her way around to Yuki to cheer him on. Sakura noticed and said, "Tomoyo-chan wait! If you…Yuki-kun'll—"

CCCCCRRRRRAAAAASSSSSHHHHH!

"Too late," Sakura mumbled as Tomoyo tripped over Spinnel and fell right into Yuki's lap.

WWWWWHHHHHOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!

Suddenly there was a small grey rat running for dear life onto Kisa's lap to keep from being trapped under Tomoyo. For a moment there was dead silence.

Then…Kyo was on his feet pointing at Sakura, "YOU! YOU KNEW! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!"

He calmed down when he saw little Momo tugging at his shirt with tears in her eyes, "Ahhh, don't cry Momo," he said as he hugged her.

Sakura, Eriol, and Syaoran exchanged glances before chorusing, "WE'RE SORCERERS!" Everyone on the plane stared at them in shock; the CCS gang were shocked that they told their secret like that. The FB gang were simply shocked.

Sakura smiled sweetly and said, "Kisa-chan, why don't you take Yuki-kun and his clothes to the bathroom? I think we girls should be spared his change back. Once he's dressed, we can all explain things to each other." Wordlessly Kisa did as she was asked. No sooner had Kisa closed the bathroom door, than there was another whoosh.

Moments later Yuki returned to the group staring at Sakura. "How did you do that?" he asked in disbelief, "The change has never lasted so short a time!"

Sakura just shrugged, "I'm a sorceress, remember? I thought I would spare you the embarrassment of changing back NUDE in the middle of explanations. Kero-chan, Spinnel-chan, you can stop pretending now."

Both "stuffed toys" gasped, chorusing, "FINALLY!" The FB gang was sure that they could not possibly be any more shocked. They were, of course, wrong.

Eriol turned to Sakura and Syaoran saying, "Should we _all_ transform to prove to them our magic?" They nodded. Syaoran simply gripped his pendant, summoning his sword and his traditional Chinese fighting clothes. Both Eriol and Sakura held out their keys which hovered, glowing, over their palms. They chanted their spells together, shouting "RELEASE!"

When the magical smoke cleared, Eriol was dressed in a dark cloak and wide-brimmed hat. He was holding a long staff topped with a golden sun, and he was flanked by the true forms of Ruby Moon and Spinnel Sun.

Sakura was dressed in a more mature version of the princess dress she'd worn for the play in the sixth grade (Tomoyo had decided this would be the signature outfit for times when Sakura had to do magic but there wasn't an original costume ready for the occasion) and had small wings that would grow larger if she summoned 'Fly.' She, too, had a long staff. Hers was pink and topped with a golden star within a pink circle. She was flanked by the true forms of Kerberos and Yue.

When Eriol had emphasized _all_, everyone involved had maneuvered themselves to get the room they needed.

Now would also be an appropriate time to mention that Sakura and Eriol had worked something out to allow Yukito to be aware of what was going on when he was Yue, so you don't have to feel sorry for him.

Tohru, Momo, Kagura, and Kisa passed out at the sight of all the wings. The FB males were frozen with shock. Oddly enough, Hana and Arisa were sitting calmly, munching on their snacks seemingly unsurprised by what was happening. Eriol waved his staff, and the four girls regained consciousness, looking calmer.

"I think we should go first," he said, "You see, it started a couple hundred years ago." He went on to explain how Clow Reed had created the Clow Cards, how the cards became dormant when Clow died, how Sakura woke them with her magic and had to capture them, and how he had 'helped' her transform them into Sakura Cards because he had a responsibility as Clow's reincarnation and otherwise the cards would go permanently dormant. No one said anything until Hatori asked, "And is Li-san's magic different?"

Syaoran answered, "Hai, my magic is different. You see, Clow Reed's father was English, and his mother was Chinese, so his magic uses both Western and Eastern elements. My family is descended from Clow's mother's family so our magic is purely Eastern."

Hatori nodded, "I see."

There was another awkward silence until Shigure sighed. "Well we might as well tell them. Since they have magic, it's doubtful your techniques would even work on them Hari." Hatori nodded again. Shigure continued, "For many generations our family has been cursed by fourteen vengeful spirits. Fourteen members of our family are possessed by the thirteen animals of the Chinese Zodiac plus the cat that wasn't included in the Zodiac. As a result, when we are ill or stressed, or when we are hugged by a member of the opposite sex, we change into our animal forms. Hugging is pretty loosely defined for this purpose. I am the dog, Hatori is the dragon, Yuki is obviously the rat, Kyo is the cat, Aya the snake, Momiji is the rabbit, Kagura is the boar, Kisa is the tiger, and Ritsu is the monkey. Momo is Momiji's little sister, but she isn't a member of the Zodiac."

Sakura asked, "Is there nothing to be done about your curse?"

Hatori shook his head, "We hope so, but we don't know what it might be."

There was silence for a few moments, then Eriol said, "I don't wish to give you false hopes, but there's a possibility that we sorcerers can do something about your curse. I'll have to think about it some more."

The explanations and excited chattering that followed took the entire rest of the trip.

As they taxied down the runway, Syaoran looked out his window and groaned at what he saw. "What is it Syaoran-kun?" asked Sakura, touching him on the shoulder. He smiled at her and raised his voice, "Hey everyone! I need to tell you something VERY important."

When everyone was looking at him questioningly, Syaoran continued, "There are five young women waiting for us. I recognize four of them. They're my older sisters." Sakura, Tomoyo, Eriol, Meiling, Touya, Yukito, and the guardians went pale and groaned loudly. The rest just looked puzzled.

Syaoran nodded, "Hai, my sisters. And no, I didn't know they would be here. Sohmas, this is particularly important for you. My sisters are very…um…" he trailed off.

"Overly enthusiastic when they meet new people," Meiling supplied.

Eriol continued next, "They like to hug and jump all over people they think are cute. We'll have to tell them about your curse eventually because they are also powerful sorceresses and will figure it out on their own. At first, though, they'll be too excited about new people to notice anything."

Sakura sighed, knowing she would be the one to deliver the worst of the news. "Kisa-chan, Momo-chan, Chiharu-chan, Rika-chan, Naoko-chan, Yamazaki-kun, Tohru-chan, Hana-chan, Arisa-chan, Kagura-chan, and Duo-kun, I really hate to do this to you, but you're safe for them to glomp on. They've met the rest of us from our school, so we won't be exciting enough to distract them. Don't worry," she smiled at the panic on the faces of those she'd named, "They won't actually hurt you. We'll surround the Sohma males so Syaoran-kun's sisters can't get you until we're in private." Everyone nodded.

Meiling added, "I'll go out first. Then you girls, Yamazaki-kun, and Duo-kun, you follow me. Once my cousins are distracted, everyone else can come out, and we'll protect those in danger."


	3. Chapter 3

SPRING BREAK IN AMERICA

Chapter 3

"Brace yourselves," Meiling warned as she exited the plane. Those who hadn't already met Sayoran's sisters visibly braced themselves.

"KAWAII!!!!!""LOOK HOW ADORABLE THEY ARE!!!"

"OH THEY'RE SOOO CUTE!!!!""I WANT THEM!!!!"

From inside the plane, the Sohma males paled. Eriol and Tomoyo chuckled. "Shall we?" asked Tomoyo. Sakura went first and they all filed out, forming a ring around the vulnerable Sohma males.

The remaining young woman watched, amused, until she caught Meiling's eyes and a hand gesture that was quickly hidden. She was thin, on the tall side of average height with long wavy red-golden brown hair and blue eyes. The young woman clapped her hands for attention. When it was silent, the young woman smiled, "Good afternoon. My name is Meredith Summer. Before all of you introduce yourselves, why don't we all go inside, out of the sun," she gestured to the building behind her. Everyone nodded and trooped inside. Meiling rushed to the young woman and hugged her, "Meredith! How have you been? Has your magic grown?" She and Meredith laughed until they cried at the expressions on the faces of their companions.

"B-b-but," Eriol stammered, "But I should've sensed your aura!"

Meiling giggled, "I guess your magic has grown if you can hide your aura from the great Eriol!"

Meredith giggled too, holding her sides from laughing so hard, "Yes my magic has grown. My father says that I am very close to being the strongest sorceress in America. But my magic is somewhat different from Mr. Hiragizawa's which is probably why you couldn't sense my aura. My aura only shows itself when I have active magic going. Only empaths can sense my aura when my magic is dormant. At any rate, I'll tell you more about myself when we get to my home where you'll be staying for as long as you're here in America. Could you please introduce yourselves now? Oh, and boys and you two girls, I can give you temporary solutions for your condition if you tell me specifically how it effects each of you."

The Sohmas looked at each other, but at this point they were beyond being surprised.

Kagura stepped forward first, "My name is Sohma Kagura. I am cursed by the spirit of the boar. For those of us here, our family curse manifests the same way. We change into our animal forms when we are hugged by someone of the opposite gender, stressed out, or sick. I am nineteen years old and was home-schooled through high school so I have few friends outside my family."

The rest of the Zodiac Sohmas introduced themselves one by one until only Hatori was left. Shigure and Ayami watched Hatori expectantly, knowing that he would have questions for this mysterious young woman.

Hatori introduced himself at last, "I am the family doctor for the Sohmas, Sohma Hatori. Tell me Summer-san, what is this temporary solution you spoke of? Is it something that could possibly harm any of my family members?"

Meredith smiled, "No, it could not harm anyone's health. You are the dragon, are you not?" Hatori nodded without surprise. "But it does not manifest as a dragon does it? That would be rather awkward even if you rarely transformed. Let's see…I believe your spirit manifests as a…seahorse…yes?" Once again Hatori nodded without surprise. "Good. That gives me the information I need to decide what would be the best for the situation. I will explain the possibilities after all the introductions are finished."

The rest of the FB gang introduced themselves: little Momo barely said a word, Tohru babbled on about how she didn't want to be a burden and how she hoped Summer-san would be able to help with the curse, and Hana was her usual mysterious self. The CCS gang didn't take long to introduce themselves; Meredith already knew all about the magic through Meiling and her own powers. Lastly, Syaoran introduced his four sisters: Fanrei, Fuutie, Feimei, and Sheifa.

Finally Meredith said, "Come, we should go to my home. My parents have food waiting for you."

The entire group filed onto a large charter bus and Meredith told them about the sights on the way to their temporary new home.

Several of the group were startled to realize that they were driving through gates onto the driveway of what appeared to be a single enormous home. It was even larger than Tomoyo's mansion in Japan and it looked lovely with a single candle lit in each of the upper floor windows and the first floor brightly lit.

As the bus stopped, Meredith said, "Everyone please leave your luggage. It will be brought to your rooms while we eat."

As they got off the bus and began to climb the wide, grand staircase, no one said a word. Even Kyo and Syaoran seemed to be awed. Tomoyo was beyond words, and the rest seemed to be simply stunned.

When the double doors were thrown open, the group from Japan gasped. Inside, the floors were gleaming hardwood. The spiral staircase was carpeted in bronze and the banisters were of the same wood as the floors. The walls were painted a soft golden yellow with stonework about four feet up from the ground. The stones were of irregular shapes and a blue/grey/green/ turquoise color. The room was lit with a huge crystal chandelier and bronze and crystal sconces on the walls. There were also large pictures of apple and cherry orchards on the walls.

Meredith smiled, amused, as everyone gaped. "Welcome to Eternal Summer Orchards," she said. "Come, I will take you directly to the dining hall since I know my family is waiting there four us. You can tour the place tomorrow."

The group followed Meredith in silence. The dining hall was floored with the same hardwood as the foyer, but the walls were painted a rich olive green. The windows were framed in curtains a lighter shade of olive green. The chandeliers and wall sconces were crystal and silver. The table was made of wood so dark it seemed almost black. Standing near the table were four people. It was obvious that the older man and the woman were Meredith's mother and father.

Meredith was an exact replica of her mother but for her height and her hair color. Mrs. Summer had deep brown hair and was a good eight inches shorter than her daughter. Mr. Summer was about six feet tall. His hair was the same color as his daughter's, but shot with gray. He had a neat mustache and beard, penetrating blue eyes, and a powerful build.

The two young men could only be Meredith's brothers. Both were taller than their father, although one was taller than the other by about three inches. Both had dark brown hair that had a reddish sheen. Both were athletic looking. The taller one had dark blue eyes and a mustache. The other had pale, ice blue eyes and was clean shaven.

Once everyone was inside the room, Meredith gestured towards the quartet standing by the table, "Everyone, I would like you to meet my family. Micha and Celene Summer, my mother and father; and my older brothers, Nathaniel and Perrin." To her family she said, "These are the students who will be staying with us. You, of course, remember Li Meiling, don't you?"

The four bowed slightly, and Celene Summer said, "Meiling, darling, how good to see you again. Tell me, how have you been?" Meiling smiled, "I've been fine Celene. Your home has changed since I was last here. I would like you to meet my cousins: Fuutie, Fanrei, Feimei, Sheifa, and Sayoran. These are my friends Kinomoto Sakura, Daidouji Tomoyo, Hiragizawa Eriol, Takashi Yamazaki, Mihara Chiharu, Sasaki Rika, Nomura Naoko, Sakura's brother Kinomoto Touya, Tushkiro Yukito, Akizaki Nakuru, and Kereberos and Spinnel."

Yuki stepped forward, "My name is Sohma Yuki, and we are from the other school. My brother is Ayame, and nearly all the rest of my group are my cousins: Hatori, Shigure, Hatsuharu, Ritsu, Momiji, his little sister Momo, Kisa, Kagura, and Kyo. The others are Honda Tohru, Uotani Arisa, Hanajima Saki, and Kimura Duo. Thank you for sharing your home with us."

Each person bowed as they were named.

Micha Summer said, "You are most welcome in our home. Please, be seated and dinner will be served."

Once everyone had been served, Meredith stood up holding several things in her hands. She walked around the table giving one of what she held to each of the Zodiac members. They were silver charms, in the shapes of the Zodiac animals, strung on thin black chains. She didn't speak until she got back to her seat, "When you put on those charms, they will force your auras deep into your cores. It is my belief that what causes you to transform is your auras reacting to auras that are non-magical. Before you put on the charms, however, I would like to try a little experiment."

She leaned into Hatori, who was sitting next to her, resting her head on his shoulder. The Sohmas and Tohru tensed, waiting for him to transform. To their surprise, he didn't. Meredith smiled, "As I thought. Sakura, would you do the same thing to Kyo?"

Sakura obliged, and Kyo didn't change either. Meredith's smile broadened, "Eriol, would you be so kind as to do the same thing to Kagura? Syaoran, would you please hug Kisa?" Both young men did as they asked, although Syaoran blushed. Neither girl transformed. Shigure, amazed, asked, "Meredith-san, do you know what's going on? Why don't they transform?"

Nathaniel chuckled, "Isn't it obvious?" he asked in his light tenor, "You aren't transforming because your auras of those who have magical gifts."

Meredith nodded, "Nathaniel is right. Now I'd like to test the charms. Please put them on." The Sohmas obeyed. "Good," she said, "Now to test them. Tohru, would you please hug Hatsuharu? Tomoyo, why don't you hug Yuki? Rika, will you hug Momiji please? And Duo, please hug Kisa." They all did as they were asked, some of them blushing. No one transformed.

Meredith's expression was victorious, "Tomorrow, I'll teach the spell to Eriol, Sakura, Sayoran, Fuutie, Fanrei. Feimei, and Sheifa. The charms will have to be renewed everyday or they will lose their effectiveness."

Celene smiled at her daughter, "Sweetling, what spell did you use?"

"The frozen heart."

Her family nodded. The others just looked confused or worried, Celene smile reassuringly, "Don't worry, it doesn't effect your emotions or health or anything. It's called the 'frozen heart' spell because it locks your aura inside your heart. You may feel a little lightheaded at until you get used to it, but if you breath deeply and slowly, the lightheadedness will soon pass. If it doesn't by the time the spell is renewed tomorrow evening, please come to me." With that, everyone began eating with very little conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

Heheh… I just realized that I never did a disclaimer for this story…oops? At any rate, it should be obvious that I don't have any connection to either Card Captor Sakura, I simply have an active imagination.

Also, I want to apologize to anyone who may have been reading this story for the incredibly long time between updates. I handwrite all my stories before I type them and I misplaced the notebook I was writing this one in when I cleaned my apartment around Christmas time apparently. I just found it yesterday when I posted Chapter 3. I was so excited about finding my notebook—this is my favorite or my current fanfics—that I forgot to explain why there's been such a delay.

Just so you know, right now I have less than one more chapter already written. I will try to spend time this week writing so that I can post it, but I only have two more weeks of school left this semester (hallelujah!) which means that I have presentations to do, papers to write, and finals to study for. Also, I have another fanfic that got neglected around the same time as this story because I couldn't find it's notebook either and I should catch up on it as well, and I've started a new fanfic and I don't want it to be ignored either. So I've got a lot on my plate right now. I'll do my best, and I should be able to do better when summer break starts.

On with the story!

SPRING BREAK IN AMERICA

Chapter 4

The group from Japan were exhausted by their trip and all the shocks and revelations they had received in the last few hours. Meredith and her family seemed to understand this and chose not to say anything although Nathaniel's eyes were frequently on Meiling and Perrin kept glancing at Feimei; both girls blushed whenever they noticed the attention they were getting.

At last the table was cleared, and even Kero had eaten his fill of the mix of American, Chinese, and Japanese foods. Micha and Celene stood; Micha put his arm around his wife's waist, "Boys, Meredith, will you show our guests to their rooms? I'm sure they would all like a bath and some sleep." With that, the couple left. Everyone stood up, Meredith, Nathanial, and Perrin leading the way.

They walked back down the hallway to the foyer, up the spiral staircase, down a short passage way, and up another flight of stairs. They were in a small room that they could see was connected to two long hallways to either side. Meredith walked down the hallway to the left first.

She stopped at the first quartet of doors. "This is my room," she said, pointing to the first door on the right, everyone could see her name on a silver plaque on the door. She touched the blank plaque on the door next to hers, "This shall be Fanrei's room." Fanrei's name appeared on the blank plaque. Meredith moved across the hall and touched the first door, "This room shall be Hatori's," and his name appeared on the blank silver plaque. Next to Hatori was Ayame.

The group moved down the hallway assigning rooms so that Fuutie was across the hall from Shigure, Nakuru was across from Ritsu, Kagura was across from Yukito, and Sheifa was across from Touya. At the end of the hallway was a room for Momo and Kisa to share. Across the hall from them was a room for Kero and Spinnel. When they looked in, they were amazed. There were two large screen TVs hooked to several different game consoles. There was also a microwave, a large refrigerator, and cabinets full of sweets. Eriol and Sakura looked uneasily at Meredith when they saw the sweets. Perrin laughed and said, "Don't worry. It's all sugar free, even the juices and sodas. There should be no chaos from anything eaten in this room." Eriol, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Sakura all sighed with relief.

The group moved back to the other hallway. Perrin had the room across from Feimei and Nathaniel was across from Meiling. Syaoran was across from Sakura, and Yuki had the room across from Tomoyo. The next quartet was Eriol and Hana, and Tohru and Hatsuharu. Arisa and Kyo, and Rika and Momiji were the next group. The final quartet was Duo and Naoko, and Yamazaki and Chiharu.

And yes, the rooms were arranged by couples on purpose; Celene Summer had arranged it.

Once everyone had seen where everyone else was staying, they all said goodnight and went into their own rooms. If it had been possible to see everyone's reactions at the same time, it would have been amusing to watch for the next few minutes.

Everyone from Japan reacted in one of two ways. The girls had stars in their wyes; the boys were stunned.

In layout, the rooms were the identical. This hallway took up two entire floors. Just inside each door was a large sitting room with TV., two sofas, several armchairs, lamps, end tables, and a kitchenette area. The back walls were made entirely of frosted glass with arched doorways. Through each doorway was a large breakfast nook area. The walls were bay windows; the center panels were clear. The outside panels were colored frosted glass. The colors matched the colors of the decorations and each person had a different color scheme. Sakura's were, of course, cherry pink. Likewise, Sayoran's color was obviously forest green. Tomoyo's rooms were lavender, Yuki's royal purple. Kyo's room was colored in burnt umber. Across the hall, Arisa's rooms were decorated in bronze. Rika's rooms were magenta; Momiji's rooms were raspberry colored. Naoko's rooms were colored golden yellow; Duo's rooms were amber colored. Tohru's color was teal and Hatsuharu's rooms were black (duh) and silver. Hana's rooms were in royal blue; Eriol's rooms were colored in navy blue. Meiling's rooms were in scarlet; Nathaniel's rooms were burgundy. Meredith's rooms were jade green, and Hatori's rooms were slate grey. Nakuru's rooms were maroon colored; Ritsu's rooms were flame colored. Kagura's rooms were blue green; Yukito's rooms were light blue. Sheifa's rooms were in mahogany and Touya's rooms were colored in tan and light brown. Feimei's decorations were in turquoise; Perrin's rooms were sky blue. Fanrei's rooms were in peach and Ayame's decorations were a yellow orange. Fuutie's rooms were salmon colored. Shigure's rooms were red-orange. Chiharu's rooms were in sea foam green and Yamazaki's rooms were in mauve.

In one corner of each sitting room was a spiral staircase with banisters made of either bronze, copper, or silver. Each person stood stunned just inside the doorway. Each person wandered to the doorway to look in the next room. The girls sighed; the boys felt peaceful.

Next, they all climbed their staircases. At the top of the stairs there were a series of three rooms. The room to the inside of the house was a huge bathing room. All four walls were mirrored. There were sinks off to one side and a large shower stall with two showerheads off to the other side. In the center room was a large spa-type bathtub with stairs leading up to it. Each tub was big enough to hold 30 or more people. The last room was the bedroom. The beds were king-sized with thick, comfy mattresses. The furniture was made of cherry hardwood. The walls on the outside were made of the same wood as the furniture to about waist height. Above that, the walls were glass, with curtains in various shades of the many color schemes.

Sakura had the irrelevant thought that the Summers must have used some magic in building their house; otherwise the bathtub would never have been able to be so big in that room.

In the morning, everyone woke up slowly, nearly at the same time. The Sohmas and the non-magical friends all woke up feeling as if the day before had been a dream—until they noticed their surroundings anyway.

Suddenly the ENTIRE mansion (and it is BIG, let me tell you) was rocked by a shriek of terror that was quite unlike her normal panicked morning scream. Syaoran was out of his room and across the hall into Sakura's almost without conscious thought. Kero and Spinnel were roaring down the hallway in their true forms before the echoes had died away. Touya arrived in his sister's room nearly as quickly as Syaoran. Tomoyo, Meiling, Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, Yamazaki, Eriol, and Yukito weren't far behind. The FB gang clustered in the hallway looking worried. The sight that greeted those who rushed to Sakura's defense was an astonishing one. On the bed was Sakura, tangled in the sheets and fainted dead away. Sitting on top of the dresser was a young girl who looked vaguely like a cat. She was laughing hysterically…and she was as transparent as a ghost.

"Sakura!" cried Tomoyo as she rushed to her friend. As she untangled her friend from the sheets, the strap of Sakura's nightgown slipped exposing one perfectly shaped breast.

Both Syaoran and Touya blushed bright red, although for QUITE different reasons, before turning to take defensive stances between Sakura and the girl on the dresser.

Rika rushed forward to cover Sakura as Syaoran growled, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" the cat-girl only giggled. Kero and Spinnel began to pace forward, growling.

Suddenly a feminine voice bellowed, "That is ENOUGH Fifine! How DARE you?!"

Startled, everyone turned to see who had such a bellow that it rocked the house nearly as much as Sakura's shriek had. The girl stopped giggling and fell off the dresser to cower behind the curtains.

Meredith was standing in the doorway literally glowing with rage. Her hair floated out from her head as her eyes bled a blue flame that spread out to surround her entire body. As she stalked forward, Eriol whispered to Yamazaki, "Now I feel her aura, it's unbelievable!" Yamazaki nodded; he might not have magic, but you'd have to be dead to not sense Meredith's power at this moment, even if evidence of it wasn't as visible as it was. Dumbly, Syaoran and Touya moved out of her way.

Meredith stopped when she towered over the strange girl. She stood, glaring silently, for a few moments. When she spoke, her voice was deadly quiet and far scarier than the bellow had been, "I warned you Fifine. I warned you to be on your best behavior."

Suddenly Sakura was standing between Meredith and the whimpering Fifine. "Your magic may be strong Meredith-san," she said, her voice icy and even scarier than Meredith's had been. None of her friends had ever heard her use that tone; they shivered. "But you need to work on controlling your temper," she continued, "If you aren't careful, you commit an unforgivable sin. I can strip you of your magic if I have to."

There was silence in the room. Quietly, Touya whispered to Sayoran, "Can she really erase Meredith-san's magic even though her power is so strong and different from Sakura's"

Syaoran nodded, "Sakura is a lot stronger than Meredith-san. Also, she has better control over her emotions. Ultimately, letting her anger control her like this will weaken Meredith-san."

The tableau held for several more tense moments. Suddenly the glow left Meredith and she collapsed in a half faint. By now, the FB gang and Meredith's brothers had crowded into the room.

Perrin spoke to his sister, "She's right Mer. You know that's why you're still not the strongest sorceress in America. The council has talked about curbing you in some way, and I suspect they would ask Miss Kinomoto to do it since she's stronger than you and I doubt you'd be able to break her magic."

Kyo mumbled, "Someone tell me that the last 36 hours have been just a dream. I can't take this anymore."

Nathaniel picked up his sister and Perrin took the ghostly cat-girl by the hand, and they left Sakura's room.

The visitors from Japan stood stunned. Syaoran was now holding Sakura, who still trembled—both from fear and from controlling her anger. Slowly everyone left to get ready for the day until only Syaoran and Tomoyo were left with Sakura.

"I'm okay now," Sakura assured her friends. "You can go get dressed too." Tomoyo nodded and reluctantly left.

Sayoran didn't move. "What happened? Why did you scream?" he asked when they were alone. For a moment he thought Sakura wouldn't answer, but then she spoke softly.

"I had this aweful dream, and that girl—Fifine—was in it. And then I woke up and she was there! It was a bit as if I couldn't wake up from a nightmare. I'm glad, though, that she thought it was funny."

Syaoran looked surprised at this. Sakura giggled a little, "Well, it's certainly better than Fifine being offended that I was terrified of her!"

Syaoran laughed with her for a moment, and then looked serious again, "But what was the dream about and why was a girl you've never met before in it?"

Sakura looked equally serious, "I think I should wait until we can all talk about it with Meredith-san and her family. I think it was a true dream, and I think it has something to do with the Sohmas."

About half an hour later, everyone were seated around the dining room table eating breakfast. The only sounds were that of silverware against the tableware. Even Fifine was there.

Sakura had managed to corner all five of the Summers and Fifine after everyone had left her room. What she told them stunned all six of them; they agreed that everyone should eat breakfast together that morning, and that they would talk after everyone had eaten.

Finally only Kero was still eating, but when Sakura cleared her throat, he quickly put his fork down.

"I'm sure that everyone is wondering exactly what happened this morning. Also, our hosts have a secret they've been keeping from us and they'll want to explain why they've been keeping it. You see, I screamed this morning like that because when I woke up and saw Fifine-san, I thought I was still in the nightmare I'd been having."

As she continued to speak, it was as if everyone could see what she'd seen in her nightmare:

"_Mommy! Daddy! Where are you? I can't find you!" a little girl with golden brown hair and green eyes was running down a long hallway, stumbling as she cried so hard she couldn't see. Suddenly, she burst into a room at the end of the hallway and halted, stunned. Her father, her uncle, and her two older brothers stood in front of her mother, her aunt, and her older sister. Her mother was huddled protectively over the twins: one boy, one girl. Her aunt held her two sons the same way. Her baby sister and her youngest cousin were clinging to her older sister's skirts. A mob stood facing them with one man standing off to the side as if he didn't want to be a part of either group. A man was shouting angrily at her family, "You've been endangering our town for too long shape-changers! We no longer want you here! We—"_

_He was cut off by Nadine, her older sister, who had just seen her. "Run Fifine! Change shape and run!" she screamed._

_The whole mob turned to look at her. A woman's face contorted with rage. "You!" she shouted. "You're the brat my son says he wants to marry!" the man who had been speaking pointed at her, "You'll be the first to die!" _

_The girl tried to run to her mother as blue flame shot from the man's finger._

_Suddenly, the other man, the one who'd been standing apart spoke a single, powerful word, "Ceasendium!" The blue flame turned into a circlet of blue, black, and white beads. By the time the circlet reached the girl, most of the blue beads disappeared, but one blue bead remained as the beads settled around the girl's wrist like a bracelet._

_The man spoke again, "I am sorry my child. I wasn't fast enough. You won't die, but you and your family may think the curse is worse than your having died." He turned to the mob, "Leave now. These people will no longer bother you."_

_There must have been power behind his words because the anger faded from the mob and they began leaving immediately._

_The man walked over to her and took her by the hand. "Come," he said to her family. "I must tell you what I've done, and then you must be ready to leave before nightfall when my spell on the townspeople wears off."_

_The whole family followed him back through the door the girl had come through as the vision slowly faded._

All eyes turned to Sakura, Fifine, and the Summers. Yuki was the first to speak, "What was that all about?" Eriol said, "That man was Clow Reed, but I don't have any memory of that event."

Celene and Fifine traded looks. At last Fifine sighed and stood up. "I don't believe I've properly introduced myself," she said softly, but clearly. "My name is Fifine Sohma and I am the first cat of the Zodiac."


	5. Author's Note

Hello anyone who happens to read my stuff. What I am about to tell you is the secret nightmare that writers have that is far far worse than simply having writers block. I have so many stories running through my head that I can't really focus on any of them for more than like five minutes.

If you don't believe me, here's a list: there's _Spring Break in America_, the fanfic crossover between Card Captor Sakura and Fruits Basket; there's _A New World_, the Sailor Moon fanfic; there's _Magical Destiny_, the Card Captor Sakura fanfic. Those are the ones that you'll find the beginnings of here on Then there's my story that's sort of a mix between the Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley and the Meredith Gentry series by Laurel K. Hamilton about a race of fey that protect the humans of their world but are sick. There's the romance story about a royal couple. I rather like royal romances, have you noticed? Then there's the story about the girl who lives at an orphanage because she's lost her memory and her grandfather finally finds her but she must prove who she is. There's also the random thought story that's kind of a self-portrait. Then there's the story that's about a young woman with empathetic powers who must make a young man love her. She faces the scorn of his family members who believe she isn't good enough because she wasn't born wealthy. She also faces a seeming indifference from the young man himself, but it isn't what she thinks it is. Finally, there's the CCS and Saint Tail crossover where they are two quartets of international top-level spies destined to find love with each other. Those are all the stories that I've actually started writing. That's nine stories.

Then there's the other ideas swimming in my head. There's the Card Captor Sakura fanfic that I hope to begin co writing with Magma Dragoon soon that is based on the idea that all the traditional CCS relationships are mixed up…except Sakura and Syaoran since I simply can't give that up…and that Tomoyo and Meiling are a couple. Next is the story about a group of people marooned on an island inhabited by creatures that are mostly human but have catlike features—they're also biologically compatible with humans. Then there's the story where a seventeen year old girl is travelling with her parents and eight year old sister in a jungle setting. They meet a giant jaguar that transforms into an eighteen year old man that reminds of a grown up version of Akito Hayama from the anime series Kodocha (also Kodoma no Omocha…my spelling may be a bit off…) Next there's an anime crossover fanfic with Fruits Basket and Ouran Host Club. Then there's the horror story about baby sitting two teenagers and something about the numerology of twelve and seven. If anyone knows anything about numerology or can recommend good books on numerology, please e-mail me at: kethreykshenya yahoo .com (just remove the spaces. I've found that always blanks out my e-mail address if don't put spaces in it. That's six stories, and I'm starting to feel the urge to do something with Kodocha, but I'll have to finish the series first.

There's also dozens of thoughts and ideas that didn't stick in my head long enough to get written down.

On top of all that, I edit for some other writers on reminds me, anyone out there good at editing and want to edit my stuff when I finally get all the ideas in my head organized? I'm a good editor myself, but I'm not always good at editing my own work. If anyone's interested, send me an e-mail about that too. Plus I'm trying to find a summer job so I can eat more than Pasta Roni every day. And I'm trying to get some scholarships for school next year…So be patient with me a little while longer, okay? I promise I'll update someday…I promise I promise!

Thanks everyone!

Meredith Summer


	6. Chapter 5

Spring Break in America

By Meredith Summer

_Author's Note:_

_Heh heh? I don't deserve you readers after the way I shamefully neglected this story and all my other ones too. Regardless of that fact, I hope you're reading this anyway and I'm not just talking to thin air as it were. That last note I posted….well, my life is still that complicated. Summer didn't go as planed…I got almost no writing done, except that since I had writer's block on the stories I was working on, I started a Princess Princess story that went quite well for a while, and I got no scholarships. Anyone have a rich uncle out there who wants to sponsor a poor college student to become a high school English teacher? Just joking. Although I wouldn't mind if anyone actually did have such a rich uncle. So anyways, school has started again. I'm currently enrolled in 20 units, but I'm in the process of dropping two classes worth 5 units because 20 is waaaaaaaay too much. I have a 30 mile commute every morning and every evening Monday through Friday where I spend 4 to 6 hours learning how to be a teacher. That 30 mile commute in the evening takes me straight to my college where I spend 10 hours a week teaching a college freshmen workshop class. I have graduate level classes on Tuesdays for 3 hours, Fridays for 3 hours, and Saturdays for 6 hours. I've barely have time to keep up, let alone write._

_I am now going to catch up and post what's already written on all the stories I've started on. Then, I am going to write one chapter of one story each week. I'll alternate between my fanfics and my original stories. It'll be slow, but everything should get updated. Right now I don't know how long this story will go for. Right now, I'm thinking it will probably only go for maybe a week after the end of the "Spring Break," but depending on reader response, I may choose to let it go for longer. We'll see. Anyways, thanks for your patience. Oh. One more thing; I noticed several editing errors in the previous chapters. At some point I will get around to fixing those. That reminds me…Anyone out there want to be my editor? Clearly I'm not even as good at editing my own stuff as I thought I was. If you're interested, email me at kethrey(underscore)kshenya()yahoo(dot)com. Just put the symbols in for the words in parenthesis. Our lovely hosting site pitches a fit if I try to put my email in without tricks. Or you could just send me a review expressing interest in being my editor. Also, my AIM screen name is WildCatSinger—just make sure that when you send me a message, you tell me why you're contacting me. Otherwise I'll just ignore you. You're probably bored now, so on with the story._

Chapter 5

"My name is Fifine Sohma," the strange girl said softly, "and I am the first Cat of the Zodiac."

Naturally pandemonium ruled for quite some time. It was the CCS gang's turn to be shocked—to put it mildly—while the FB gang was in an uproar. Who could blame them? It's not everyday you meet someone who looks like she's eight years old, but has been 'alive' for over two centuries. Not only that, but for the Sohmas to actually witness the beginning of their family's curse! If I had been one them, I think my heart would've stopped from shock, don't you agree?

At last everyone quieted down. It was 10 o'clock in the morning and they were already exhausted. Finally Celene spoke up, "I'm sure you all want to know exactly what is going on. I will do my best to explain it to you. According to what Fifine has told us, the Sohmas were the remnants of a lost people. Their home had been an island at the southern end of Japan. It, like Atlantis, sank into the ocean when a great earthquake shook the entire planet. Their people were a race of shape-changers. About a month after birth, a tattoo-like symbol would appear on a child, and the child would be able to transform into that animal around the time he started to walk. As they grew older they could control the shape changing at will."

The Summer family all wore faintly guilty expressions—Sakura decided the guilt was from not giving their guests any warning. She looked at her companions from Japan and smiled slightly; they all appeared to be shell-shocked—even Eriol and Sayoran who are as familiar with magic as she was herself.

Fifine took over the narration. "My father and my aunt were brother and sister, as were my uncle and my mother. They were young, and unmarried, when Yamikama sank into the ocean. After wandering awhile, they settled in the villiage where my siblings, cousins, and I were later born. At first they were able to keep their shape-changing a secret since they were old enough to control it. Eventually, though, the two couples were married, and the first of the children were born. Unfortunately, my oldest cousin transformed for the first time when my aunt and mother were at market. The priest's wife happened to be holding Jeysen when he turned into a monkey. As I'm sure you can imagine, there was complete chaos. My father managed to calm the village down, but my family's relationship with the village was an uneasy one after that."

While Celene and Fifine told this story the visitors from Japan continued to sit, completely limp. A small corner of Sayoran's mind observed that he and his friends were receiving an unusual amount of shocks lately. Surely that wasn't healthy. Sayoran hoped things would soon calm down.

The Sohmas, Tohru, Hana, Arisa, and Duo were closeted in Hatori's living room. Shigure had called Momiji's father and they were having a conference call with him and the remaining Zodiac members back in Japan. Yuki had explained everything they had learned. There was complete silence for several minutes.

When Momiji's father spoke at last, his voice sounded like it belonged to a completely different man. "Let me get this straight," he said, "You just happen to be chosen to take part in an inter-school project with a group of teenagers who think they can rid us of our family curse with their sorcery, and your host family not only knows how our family curse came about but also harbors a semi-ghost who is the original Cat of the Zodiac?"

Yuki and Kyo made nearly identical grimaces. It was Hatori who answered, "Hai. Strange as it seems, that is the sum of what has happened. Although Eriol-san says there is no such thing as coincidence, but only the inevitable."

For several long moments, there was more silence. It was broken, surprisingly, by Hana. "These sorcerers we've met have nearly identical electromatic wave signals as those of you with the curse that I've met. The only difference is that I can tell you are all related by blood, while none of the sorcerers are. It's possible that we're here, now, with these people, at this time, because it has been fated that the curse either be cured or lose all hope of ever attaining such a cure. What ultimately happens will be based on your choices, our choices, those of the sorcerers, and even those of the non-magical friends that we have."

What was weirdest about Hana being the one to break the silence was that she didn't sound like herself, her voice sounded both older and younger at once, almost as if there were two people speaking simultaneously. Those sitting in the room with her shivered.

No one quite knew how to respond. On the one hand, the curse could be lifted—that was a good thing. On the other hand, if they failed to lift the curse at this opportunity, then there would never again be an opportunity to lift it—that was a bad thing.

Finally Momiji's father sighed. "All right. Research the cure with this Fifine and the sorcerers. If we can find a way to get rid of the curse, it will be wonderful thing for our family. However, do nothing but research without discussing it with us. Good luck, and behave yourselves."

Meredith was conducting Sayoran, Sakura, Tomoyo, Eriol, Chiharu, Rika, and Yamazaki on a tour of the house—they'd lost Naoko and Yukito at the library. So far they'd seen the kitchen, Micha and Celene's rooms, the ballroom, the library, the dining hall, the fitness hall, and the dojo.

Perrin and Nathaniel were conducting a tour too, but they had taken Touya, Fanrei, Sheifa, Fuutie, Feimei, Meiling, and Nakuru to the orchards to being with. They had been to the Orchard Hall where they tasted all the products produced at Eternal Summer Orchards. Then they moved on to the tennis courts, the driving range, the gardens, and the pool.

The two groups passed each other at the back door, smiling and laughing at the timing of their tours. Nathaniel and Perrin promised to go to the library first to pry out Naoko and Yukito so they'd be able to see the rest of the house.

As the Sohmas and their friends left Hatori's rooms, Kyo bumped into Fifine who, although she looked transparent felt quite solid. Kyo tensed, still not used to not transforming. Fifine whimpered, expecting to be hit. Even after hundreds of years, she still felt like it was her fault the Sohmas had been cursed. If she hadn't allowed the boy to kiss her that last day of her innocent childhood, the day before everything happened, then it wouldn't have happened. She wouldn't still be here.

When the expected blow didn't come, Fifine looked shyly up at the current Cat. "There's something I need to tell you," she said timidly. "You and the Rat. Will you come with me? So I can tell you how you are what you are?" Kyo just looked silently at her for a moment, then nodded. For some reason, he felt drawn to this strange girl. It bothered him, because he felt as if he should hate her for causing the curse, but he couldn't.

"Oy. Yuki! Fifine-san wants to talk to us."

Both Yuki and Tohru turned at the sound of Kyo's voice. It would be difficult to tell who was more shocked—not only that, but Kyo wasn't wearing the usual sullen expression he wore when he was forced to talk to Yuki!

Tohru smiled hopefully at this. "Fifine-san, may I come too?" she asked gently. She hoped that Kyo and Yuki were getting along better, but knew that it was unlikely. She thought that she'd at least be able to get Fifine out of the way if her two friends started fighting like they usually do.

Fifine nodded, smiling shyly. "Will you come outside with me? I'm more comfortable there." The three friends nodded and followed the small girl down the hall.

Meredith had almost finished the tour of the orchards when she saw Fifine, Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo sitting down under a tree in the distance. She guessed what was going to happen. "Sakura-chan," she said. "I think you, Sayoran-kun, and Eriol-kun should join Fifine and the others. You might find it helpful in finding the way to remove the curse."

The three sorcerers looked at each other and nodded. Quietly they made their excuses to the rest of the group, and together they walked towards the small group under the trees. When they had reached the group, the four sitting under the trees were still silent. When they looked up, Sakura said, "Meredith tells us you have more information about the curse that we should know about."

Fifine nodded and gestured for them to sit with them. "It's about the Cat's other form." Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru paled. The three sorcerers looked questioningly at their companions. Kyo gulped and said, almost inaudibly, "I have another form…one that I turn into when these beads are removed from my wrist." He held up his arm to show his beads to the others. "I don't usually talk about it because my other form is grotesque and frightening."

Fifine stood and began to pace. "That other form is what the man from the village meant to do to me and my family. He thought that if we became true monsters then they could kill us without any guilt. Master Clow changed the spell into a set of beads. The black and white beads were intended to counteract the curse, much like the charms that Meredith gave you. It didn't work like Master Clow thought it would because he wasn't fast enough. The blue beads represented that monstrous form. They were supposed to disappear completely and the black and white beads would prevent all of us from transforming unless we wished to. One blue bead remained, so instead of the others disappearing into nonexistence, they were scattered across the globe."

She stopped pacing and turned to face her audience. Other than a light breeze through the trees, all was still. "When Master Clow's initial spell wore off, I turned into that grotesque form. My family turned from me. They couldn't stand the sight of me. Master Clow said that as long as I wore the beads, I would only turn into that form at night. He said that if I could find all fourteen of the blue beads and destroy them, the other form would be forever banished as the rest of the curse, but that all fourteen had to be destroyed at once. He told my family that I would never die until the curse was broken, but that part of my soul would be reborn into one of their children. He said that the curse would continue no matter what they did so they might as well live their lives as they would anyway."

She knelt between Kyo and Yuki, but didn't look at either of them. "The only one of my family who didn't turn from me was my older sister Nadine. She traveled with me, acting as my chaperone because I never aged. Together we traveled searching for the beads. On the day that we found the tenth bead, my sister died. I haven't found any more since. She was ninety-eight years old, and I still looked like a ten year old. Nadine was the original Rat of the curse."

Yuki and Kyo looked at each other in absolute horror. Tohru covered her mouth with her hands. Sakura, Sayoran, and Eriol seemed to be meditating. In truth, they were communicating with each other. _We could find the last four beads_, Sayoran commented. _Destroying those beads shouldn't be difficult with so many magic-users,_ was Eriol's contribution. Sakura was troubled, _Demo, wouldn't destroying the mean that Fifine-san would die at last? Shouldn't she get the chance to live a normal life?_ The boys didn't have a solution for her. They stayed silent for quite some time.

_Author's Note:_

_I know it isn't much, but there will be more coming, I promise. I just don't know when it will come. I did want to let you know about my website that I'm creating. Right now it isn't much, but eventually I'll have galleries with my favorite pictures of my favorite animes. I have started a blog about animes I watch for the first time. Eventually I'll have a blog that will have short excerpts from my fanfics so you can get a sneak preview. Please check it out. Also, once I get the link up and running, if you would be willing to buy your anime and manga from Amazon dot com through that link, you will help feed myself while I continue writing the fanfiction you enjoy. Take a look at the ads too. Google provides some pretty interesting stuff. My web address is: www(dot)freewebs(dot)com/meredithsummeranimeramblesjust change the (dot) to an actual dot like in any normal web address. Or you can go to my profile and use the link to my website there…I think it works any way._


End file.
